


Sunlight

by LadyHuron97



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, POV Cedric Diggory, Self-Esteem Issues, just a lot of love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:09:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26340934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyHuron97/pseuds/LadyHuron97
Summary: Cedric Diggory is a perfect man, sometimes too perfect even to himself.He finds support in an unlikely person.Sunlight had never felt so warm.
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 87





	Sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> This little fic was inspired by the song Sunlight, by Hozier, so I encourage listening to it while reading it -it's definitely worth it-. I hope you enjoy reading this! I needed a little bit of fluffy Cedric in my life so here it is.

Cedric Diggory was The Golden BoyTM of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. No one in the school could tell you they didn't know his name, he was like sunlight, attracting people to him like a flame attracts moths.

Not even in his own house could he rest from the pressure of being the living image of perfection. His father didn't stop reminding him any second of the day how proud he was of "his boy".

It was nice to know he was so loved by so many, that he was making his family proud.

It was hard to feel proud all the time though. Especially hard to keep up with everyone's expectations, not being able to fail even a little bit for fear of utterly disappointing everyone around him.

He wasn't one to duel on negative feelings though, choosing instead to push through them and forget they even existed in his mind. But they were there, right in the back of his mind and ready to make an appearance when he least expected them and punching all the air out of his lungs.

He was in the library of the school in that moment, scratching a poorly written line for the 5th time trying to write an essay on negative effects of transfiguring the Fae, when that familiar feeling set in the back of his mind. _You're never going to be as good as they think you are_. He huffed in exasperation, grabbing the piece of parchment in front of him and crumpling it in frustration. Ruffling his hair and sighing, he looked out at the window, swallowing down the knot that was forming in his throat.

It had not been the greatest week to start off with, they had lost a Quidditch match against Slytherin when he hadn't gotten to the Snitch fast enough. He had been beating himself up for that for days now even though all his teammates had told him it hadn't been his fault, he had done everything he could. The sneering faces the Slytherins gave him every time they passed by him in the halls didn't help much either.

To add to that, he had procrastinated on writing this essay for days and now he had a due date tomorrow and he couldn't even get through one line. Needless to say, he was frustrated with himself and his thoughts were a bit harder to control than usual.

_You're going to let them all down._ _  
_

_They're finally going to see how worthless you really are._

_You're just a complete idiot._ _  
_

_What a worthless piece of shit._

"Hey, are you ok?" a soft voice pierced through his thoughts, startling him back into the moment and place he was. He looked away from the window and to the person now standing in front of him across the table.

A Gryffindor girl from his year, he knew her from a couple of classes they had together but for some reason he couldn't put a name to her face. She was smiling softly at him now and all he could think suddenly was how could he not have paid more attention to her before?. "Hello? Are you ok? Do you need me to call Madame Pomfrey?"

He shook himself then, realizing he was staring at her. "Yeah no, I'm ok, sorry"

"Oh, ok, you just looked a bit off so I thought I'd check" she said, looking at the table full of crumpled up pieces of parchment and his hands stained with ink.

"Just having some trouble finishing the essay for Transfiguration", he said, looking down at the mess he had made, "or starting, more like it"

She chuckled and he swore he could feel his heart skip a beat at the sound, he looked up at her with a small smile.

"Well, I could help you if you want, I just finished mine" she offered, "I was actually just about to put the books I used for research back, but I think you're going to need them"

"That would be wonderful, actually, but I don't want to keep you here if you're finished, you should go enjoy the day" he said looking out the window again, it was sunny, which was weird enough for the middle of October, everyone else was out there enjoying the weather so he thought he'd be the only one in the castle. He was now happy that it was not the case. She shook her head with a smile.

"I don't mind, I was just gonna go up to my dorm anyways, so let me help you"

"Alright, thank you, I really appreciate it" he said as she took a seat next to him and put the books in front of them.

Once they started getting to work and with her help he was actually able to finish writing it within 2 hours, she was a brilliant witch and having her there actually helped inspire him a lot. She was not only great at guiding him when writing, her presence was calming, soothing out all the self-deprecating thoughts he had not been able to push out of his mind for days now.

"You did it!" she said with a bright smile and it took everything in him not to melt right there.

"Well I couldn't have done it without your help, I owe you one" he said, looking her in the eyes and getting lost in the intoxicating color and depth of them.

"Well on your next Quidditch match when you catch the snitch you can dedicate it to me, that'll make us even" she said with a smirk.

"Ugh, you didn't see the last match did you?" he said, feeling embarrassed about his failure again.

"I did, you guys played really well, I was really worried about you though, you almost smashed yourself into the ground to get the Snitch" she said and he could tell there was worry in her voice still, he tried to tell his racing heart to calm down, she was just worried about a fellow student getting hurt, she didn't care about him specifically.

"I didn't catch it though" he said with a frown, getting up and starting to collect his things at the same time as her.

"You almost did, you gave that Slytherin jerk a run for it" she said as they started walking out of the library, waving goodbye to Madame Pince "seriously, it was just one of those things, we can't win every time"

He knew she was right; he had been trying to convince himself of that since the match was over, but for some reason, hearing her say it was what actually made him believe it. He smiled, sincerely, for the first time since the game. They had reached the courtyard, she stopped in front of a willow tree and the way the branches moved with the soft wind matched the way her hair flew.

"So, you don't have to answer this if you don't want, but I feel like I should still ask" she said as they sat down on top of some grown out roots. The golden light from the sun filtering through the trees highlighted her skin and brought up colorful flecks on her eyes. He was completely mesmerized. So, when she finally spoke her words it took him a while to register what she was saying, "are you really ok? And I mean not just the essay, but in general, I didn't mean to spy on you or anything but you looked a bit odd back there before I approached you so I thought I'd ask just in case, I know we're not really friends or anything but talking can help clear your mind sometimes"

She finished speaking, looking down as if worried she might've overstepped some boundaries and he let out a small sigh, the corners of his lips quirking up in a soft smile. He looked at the lake a few feet away from them as if looking for an answer.

"Yeah it's just...hard to remember I'm a flawed human being sometimes" he said, thinking that he must sound like the biggest twat of all Britain right then, she must think he's so full of himself, he looked at her though and she was looking at him with a sad smile. "Not that I think I'm perfect, it's just—"

"Everyone around you thinks you are" she said and he looked at her, she was looking right at him and he felt like she could read his soul. He'd gladly let her do it.

"Yeah" he didn't say anything else, and they stayed in comfortable silence for a while as they looked at the sun reflecting over the pitch-black lake.

"I kind of know how you feel" she said after a little while, she was playing with some shards of grass and looking down at the ground. "I'm the only witch in my family, you should've seen my mum's face when she found out and I got my Hogwarts letter, of course she can't really tell anyone about it, but the way she talks about me with my dad, it's like I'm a super human sometimes"

"My dad practically has his own broadcast show just to talk about everything I accomplish" Cedric said with a chuckle and she laughed too, damn he could live the rest of his life only hearing that sound and he'd die a happy man. "I know he means well but sometimes it's just...impossible to keep up with the expectations"

She nodded and looked at him again. "Well, if you ever need some time to just be imperfect, you know where to find me"

"On the bleachers on the next game cheering for me?" he meant for it to sound as a joke, but in his heart he knew that he'd be looking not only for the Snitch, but for her smile too.

"Absolutely, you can count on that" she said and they both looked out at the lake again. The sun had started to come down and the temperature was dropping fast, she shivered and he quickly moved to put his coat on her.

He didn't miss the way she blushed at that and he hoped against all hope that he wasn't the only one who's heart had not stopped racing since they started their conversation. She whispered a soft thanks and only then did he notice how close to her he was. He stopped there for a moment, unable to move away from her.

Attracted like a moth to a flame, she was his sunlight then. He felt like he had been lost to the light and the warmth all that time, and he had finally found it in her.

The sound of people running and talking near them snapped him out of it though, and he cleared his throat as he slowly leaned away from her.

"We should probably get back inside, it's getting dark soon" he said as he stood up, helping her up too and securing his coat around her as he did so. She thanked him as they started walking back to the castle, their hands brushing from how close together they were walking, she didn't make a move to separate herself from him though, so he didn't do it either, relishing in the closeness he could get. Once they entered the main hall though, it seemed as though they had to go their separate ways.

"Thank you for your coat, I was getting really cold there" she said as she moved to take it off, he shook his head though, securing it back on her shoulders.

"Keep it, it's cold in here too, you can give it back later" he said and smiled down at her.

"Are you sure?" she asked looking up at him like she wanted to insist, at the same time burrowing into the coat more. His heart skipped yet another beat. He nodded.

"Yeah, you helped me with the essay, it's the least I can do" he said as he adjusted the strap of his book bag on his shoulder, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trousers so he wouldn't feel tempted to hold her hands and make a fool of himself.

"Guess that makes us even, then" she said with a smirk, "you don't have to dedicate your next win to me"

"Yeah well you helped me a lot, so I might still do it just to be sure" he said and they both chuckled. She looked down at their feet, like she was looking for something else to say, so that this moment didn't end, so that she could stay there and keep talking to him.

"Well, I'll see you at supper time I guess" she said when she failed to find anything else to say, she looked up to see his bright smile and a soft look in his eyes.

"See you at supper, thank you for everything" he said and he almost bent down to give her a kiss on her cheeks, it took everything in him not to do it.

"Anytime, Cedric" she said as she walked away. He remembered then that he had not asked her for her name, he had gotten so caught up in everything that he didn't even remember it, it would be too awkward to run after her and ask her now though. He kicked himself in his mind as he looked back in the direction she had walked away and started making his way to the Hufflepuff Common Room, thinking that he'd have to pay attention on their next class together.

He couldn't get her out of his mind for the hours before supper time and his friends had joked about him being completely off while they hung out in the common room. He just laughed it off as they kept talking and changed subjects.

Once it was time to go to the dining hall he couldn't help the excitement he felt at the prospect of possibly seeing her again. His stomach was doing summersaults and he hoped he'd be able to keep his food down and not make a complete fool of himself as they entered, he looked around the Gryffindor table in hopes of seeing her but he couldn't find her.

As his group neared their usual spot he noticed that his coat was neatly folded where he usually sat, with a little piece of parchment on top of it.  
  
In soft handwriting he read:

_Thanks for keeping me warm. I'll still be cheering for you._  
_  
(Y/N)_

He smiled, looking up at the Gryffindor table again and finally finding her almost in the same spot as he was, she looked up at him and smiled, winking at him. He knew he was blushing then and tried to cover it up as he sat down, smiling at her as he looked at the little piece of parchment he had in his hand, carefully putting it in his pocket.

Sunlight had never felt so warm before.


End file.
